Analytics and Interview

On 16 January 2015 late in the evening the website of the Ministry of Justice published a statement that the NGO Committee Against Torture had been added to the register of non-profit organizations designated as ‘foreign agents’.

Tanya Lokshina is the Russia program director at Human Rights Watch and Honorary Participant of International Youth Human Rights Movement:
As the crisis in Ukraine escalated this spring, the Kremlin’s vicious crackdown on civil society also escalated. Space for independent civic activity in Russia is shrinking dramatically, but international policymakers and the media have been understandably too distracted to do much about it.
Since early spring, it seems as though every week brings a new pernicious law or legislative proposal.

Earlier this year, the correspondent of Youth Human Rights Movement from Germany Jakob Stürmann interviewed Konstantin Baranov, member of the Coordination Council of the International Youth Human Rights Movement. They discussed so called “law against homosexual propaganda” and the overall situation of LGBT in Russia.

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CIVIL NEWS

Oleg Sentsov, Olexander Kolchenko, Hennadiy Afanasiev and Oleksiy Chyrniy have been held in Russian jails for two years already under fabricated charges of ‘terrorism’. We consider it being necessary to express solidarity with those who are persecuted due to their pro-Ukrainian views, civic stand and desire for freedom in Russia-annexed Crimea.

Helsinki Committee of Armenia has published “Human Rights in Armenia 2014” Annual Report. The report reflects on the Right to Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, Political Persecutions, Freedom of Conscience and Religion, The Rights of the Child, Protection of Labor Rights.

«We have a few questions for you,» a border guard told Sinaver Kadyrov, a Crimean Tatar activist, at the Armyansk checkpoint in northern Crimea on Jan. 23. Kadyrov was on his way to Kherson, in southern Ukraine, to fly to Turkey for medical treatment. It was the beginning of an ordeal that ended with a local court expelling him from Crimea, his home of almost 25 years.

OUR BUTTON

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Awareness

A lot of troubles take place only because we don’t know a particular law, or our rights in a particular sphere, or facts about life changes on local and global level.

That is why any our campaign stands on awareness objectives – to aware population about problems, ways to solve them, possibilities of personal participation in pubic events.

Awareness – is a mass enough approach to spreading information and knowledge. Annually awareness programs of YHRM receive some thousands participants. We can’t guarantee good learning within an open lecture for some hundreds of participants, but systematical approach and high level of experts suppose that participants receive information on the problem and effect of “involvement”. This means that once participant comes to the seminar, he/she receives not only assistance in further efforts but also access to information on various possibilities to start civil activities and a chance “not to be lost”.

We consider that awareness is one element of Public Actions and can have following objectives:

- dissemination of information about the problem, possibilities to influence it ;

- forming up (changing) the approach of society to the problem.

Within block “Awareness” we propose:

Awareness contests: contests of essays, projects, graphics – for schoolchildren and students; contests propose problematic topics, are aimed on drawing attention to the problem, include informational elements and events. E.g. contests “Country, which I’d love to live in” (2000-2001), “Unauthorized Persons… Are Welcome!” (2004, 2005, 2006, site of European Contest: www.antifa.ynnet.org ), “Country, which I’d love to Die in” (2006-2007);

Informational Campaigns: dissemination information on important public problems and ways to solve them: through informational materials, work with media, work with civil networks. YHRM issues a number of periodical and special editions with awareness character. Details in block “Informational Programs”;

Open lectures and informational meetings: for various target groups – from students to experienced specialists, details in a block - program “Open Civil Academy”;

Discussions: for youth, including discussions after video-film;

Roundtables, conferences etc.

Group on Education and Awareness is in charge for realization of Educational programs in YHRM.

All work within “Education” is built in partnership with Free University within mega-program “Free University of Human Rights”.